Meet Israel's Olympic Team: The IDF Soldiers Who Support Genocide
Israeli Olympic athletes competing in Paris are soldiers in the Israeli Defense Forces. Many have called for genocide in Gaza, or expressed support for the IDF. So why are the IOC and FIFA silent?
Every Israeli athlete is an IDF soldier.
You cannot represent Israel without having been in the army. Exceptions are rare as military service is mandatory for every Israeli man and woman.
FIFA’s regulations and the Olympic Charter state that sports and politics cannot mix, yet that is not what we see with the Israeli team.
In almost every single Olympic category, athletes on the Israeli team have publicly called for genocide against Palestinians or promoted the Israeli war effort.
The evidence is staggering. Israel’s Olympic team are irrefutably engaged in pro-genocide and pro-war propaganda. The violations of the Olympic charter and FIFA’s statutes are endless.
Peter Paltchik, the Israeli flag bearer at the Paris Olympics, signed bombs that were about to be dropped on Gaza: “From me to you with pleasure.”
Paltchik, a judoka, is seen here confronting pro-Palestine protestors in Japan. A member of his entourage threatens to kill one of the activists after he lightly touched Paltchik.
Paltchick was born in Ukraine, which is ironic given that Russian athletes are banned from competing in the Olympics due to the war in Ukraine. This double standard will become more apparent as we go down the list.
Sagi Muki, also on the men's judo team, posted a video of the IDF raising an Israeli flag on Gaza Beach after invading it, with the caption "Salute your heroes."
Their teammate, Yam Wolczak, said “I dedicate this medal to our country, and to my best friends who fight with the best units in the IDF […] I thought about you the whole competition 🫶”
Another member of the Judo team, Shmailov Baruch. In one post, he advertises the Wingate Institute. Several Israeli national sports teams are based here, yet it is also a military base for fitness training, which once again underscores how Israeli sports and the military are mixed.
In support of the IDF, Israeli Judoka Tohar Butbul posted “From here I want to strengthen our dear soldiers at the borders.”
The International Court of Justice ruled earlier this year that “Israel must take all measures within its power to prevent and punish the direct and public incitement to commit genocide”. This undoubtedly includes statements made by public figures and athletes officially representing Israel.
The Olympic Charter states that sports organizations must be “politically neutral”. Maintaining and promoting political neutrality is listed in the IOC’s mission statement.
Clearly, Israelis do not respect this, and the IOC doesn’t care if they do.
The Israeli men's judo team recently visited the air base of the 102nd Air Force squadron in March. The coach said the Commander gave them his blessing for their success at the Paris Olympics.
Olympic athletes from the Israeli women’s judo team recently visited an IDF base as well, posing for photos with the 402nd battallion near Gaza.
In 2021, the IDF posted a video explicitly depicting Israeli soldiers and Olympic athletes as one. The caption also states this.
In the video, Israeli athletes are shown side by side with soldiers, as they transform into IDF troops. A gymnast moving in a circle suddenly cuts to a tank turret mimicking the same movement.
The message is crystal clear: Israelis consider their identities as IDF soldiers/reservists to be synonymous with their Olympic careers, even though this goes against political neutrality in sports, and the preamble of the Olympic Charter to promote peace.
Footballers in the Israeli women’s team recently put together a similar montage, where the video cuts between them wearing their jerseys, to them wearing their IDF uniforms, as if to say: sports and the IDF are one.
This goes beyond simply being forced to join the military at 18. These athletes are proud to be in the IDF. They openly mix sports with politics, and pose with the Israeli army even as it decimates Gaza, and stands accused of genocide at the World Court. It is tacit endorsement of genocide and occupation.
Women’s Judo Team
Gefen Primo, an Israeli Olympic athlete in the women’s judo team, enlisted in the Israeli Air Force in 2019. In May, she wrote, “Thank you IDF soldiers and security forces.”
Ten years ago, in July 2014, as Israel was bombing Gaza and would go on to kill 2,310 Palestinians, she posted “thank you to the IDF” on Instagram.
Here she is advocating for what is ethnic cleansing (left), and trying to cover for the Israeli bombing of al Ahli (Baptist) hospital which left hundreds dead (right).
Timna Nelson-Levy, also an Israeli Olympic judoka, recently wrote that her heart and thoughts are with “our heroic soldiers all along the way and to them I want to dedicate this medal!”
And in December 2023, said “I share the sorrow of the families of the IDF victims whose deaths decreed our lives!”
Fellow judoka Gili Sharir wrote in November that she wanted to “bring a little joy to the country that I love so much. The State, the soldiers, those kidnapped”, and dedicated a medal “to the IDF soldiers and security services.”
Teammate Maya Goshen said “I want to thank our army for fighting and risking their lives for our country, to make sure we will be able to live here safely.”
Fellow teammate Inbar Lanir joined the IDF at 18. In November, she dedicated her Qatar win “to the soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces and to the entire State of Israel”. She also gave an interview to IDF Army Radio.
Raz Hershko joined the IDF in 2016 and is an Israeli Olympic judoka.
She recently dedicated several of her medals to a fellow athlete-IDF soldier killed on Oct 7, and “to the security forces and the IDF soldiers.”
When visiting the 402nd with her team mates, she wrote: “I had the privilege of taking part in an inspiring meeting with our combatant soldiers on the Gaza border in the 402th battalion”, wrote Raz Hershko.
Swimming
Shelly Bobritsky, an Israel Olympic swimmer, posted a video in October 2023, complaining that the Olympic Committee was not supporting Israel enough. She repeats claims about Hamas, that 10 months later are still unproven: “raped, beheaded, and tortured” ; “they burned people alive.”
Meiron Cheruti, an Israeli Olympic swimmer, posing in his IDF uniform.
Teammate Denis Loktev is also an IDF soldier.
In January, as the IDF was being tried for genocide in the ICJ, Martin Kartavi, also on the swimming team, posted a selfie of himself in IDF uniform with the caption “good old days”.
Track and Field
Lonah Chemtai Salpeter, an Israeli Olympic marathonist, posted an illustration of the IDF raining down bombs and apocalypitc destruction on what is presumably Gaza, given she posted it on Oct 14, as Israel was doing just that. The illustration features a Bible, as if to condone this behavior as an act of God.
Maor Tiyouri, an Israeli Olympic marathonist, is pictured here in her IDF uniform.
Tiyouri was a military teacher in the IDF. As Israel was bombing Gaza in November 2023, she was saying how proud she was to be an Israeli and in the IDF.
Blessing Afrifah, an Israeli Olympic athlete, joined the IDF in 2022, saying “I’m very excited and happy to join the IDF”
Gashau Ayale, also in the Olympic team, said “We dedicate this medal to our IDF soldiers, to all the hostages that were rescued and those who are still in Gaza” at the men’s half-marathon in June 2024.
Horse riding
Ashlee Bond, in the equestrian team, when asked about the war in Gaza said she is “proud to represent Israel and show them that we will not back down and cower and not compete because we’re scared”
Fencing
Yuval Freilich, an Israeli Olympic athlete on the fencing team, wrote on the 26th of July that he is “praying for the safety of all the soldiers”.
Football
Sean Goldberg, cheered on the war effort, saying he wished and prayed for “strengthening our soldiers, the heroes, may you succeed and return home in peace 🙏🏽”
Osher Davida, a footballer in the Olympic team, said “let us hope the IDF completes the task” so they don’t have to play indoors without fans.
By November 2023, Israel had massacred thousands of Palestinians and was being protested the world over, Dor Turgeman, a footballer on the Olympic team, took to Instagram that it was “a huge privilege to represent the country especially in difficult days”.
Oscar Gloukh, also on the Israeli Olympic football team, posted: “I want to dedicate this goal to all the soldiers that are protecting our country right now! On soldiers my age. While I'm playing and having fun they are fighting for our country with guns. Thank you to the Israeli Defense Forces. The strongest army in the world. I love you guys! Go israel 🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱 “
After scoring for his Austrian club RB Salzburg, Gloukh dedicated his goal to an IDF soldier, his friend, who had been killed in Gaza.
Even the Israeli athletes who did not directly condone the IDF, still posted things like “Stand with Israel”, using their professional careers in sports to illicit support for Israel’s actions in Gaza.
Gymnastics
Artem Dolgopyat, an Israeli Olympic gymnast born in Ukraine came to Israel and enlisted in the IDF.
“There are comments on my Instagram posts from people writing 'Free Palestine' and things like that, […] I block them immediately”
—Artem Dolgopyat
Rhythmic
Romi Paritzki is the captain of the Israeli team in Rhythmic gymnastic. Here she is pictured in her IDF uniform:
Taekwondo
Avishag Semberg is an Israeli Olympic taekwondo athlete. She joined the IDF from 2020 to 2021.
In February, she dedicated a Gold medal she won in Austria to “all the Israeli Defense Forces”.
And in April posted “Continue to pray for the return of the kidnapped and for the safety of all IDF soldiers🙏🏼🇮🇱”
In June, she said “Thank you to our heroic soldiers and continue to pray for the return of all the kidnapped and for the safety of all IDF soldiers!! 🇮🇱”
Here she is in uniform meeting with the IDF in 2021, barely two months after Israel had murdered thousands of Palestinians bombing Gaza.
Surfing
Anat Lelior, a surfer on the Israeli Olympic team, said in 2021: “Being in the IDF is more than something you have to do. I’m happy to do it”.
In May 2024, during the genocide, she again spoke highly of her time in the IDF.
She said that “you need to spread kindness, not hate. I feel like that’s what we Israelis are trying to do more” and that “Israeli surfers are supporting only peace and love.”
Sailing
Shai Kakon, an Israeli Olympic sailor, is pictured here in her IDF uniform:
Footballers on the Israeli National Team
The following football players are not participating in the Olympics, but their statements are relevant to Israel’s violation of the Olympic charter.
Shon Weissman plays for the Israeli national football team. He tweeted “Destroy. Tighten. Crush. To God's revenge” and “What is the logical reason why 200 tons of bombs have not already been dropped on Gaza?”. This caused a huge controversy in Spain, where his football club is located.
He then deleted all the tweets, and blamed his social media manager, reports Il Mattino
Shon Weissman is an IDF soldier in the Israeli Air Force
He said in an interview “I can’t get my mind off of our young IDF soldiers who are battling for the nation. We all hope that they come back safely. I am here for Israel in any which way.”Tomer Yosefi, who plays for Hapoel Haifa, called for Israel to “erase Gaza permanently”, hoping that “this time there will be no concessions, and that there will be no drop of morality in the IDF.”
Ofir Davidzada, who plays for Maccabi Tel Aviv, said in May “We’ve met warriors in hospitals and rehabilitation wars who have become heroes”, and while tens of thousands of civilians had been murdered in Gaza by the IDF, claimed that this “cruel war” was “imposed” on Israel
In 2012, he uploaded this racist cartoon to Facebook which repeats the Israeli lie that Palestinians use civilians as human shields.
His club teammate Eran Zahavi, glorified the IDF when he met with an Israeli soldier and said “We’re not really the heroes.” “You are the heroes who give us the right to continue doing what we do during war.”
Miguel Vitor, a defender in the Israeli football team, wrote on Instagram: “To those who are fighting for our country and communities, you are heroes. Stay strong, Israel!”
Dan Glazera, an Israeli midfielder, wrote: “We admire the strength of the Israeli Defence Forces and our special people that docover a unity that is characterised only by us”.
Daniel Perez, an Israeli goalkeeper who also plays for Bayern Munich, posted a video in October saying “it’s not about politics” and then immediately proceeded to talk politics by comparing Hamas to Al Qaeda and ISIS.
In May he posted in honor of the IDF: “I dedicate it to all the heroes and heroines who left everything to protect and fight for us:”
Israeli Football Clubs and the IDF
The Israeli Football Association (IFA) is a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
As a member, the Israeli Football Association, and all its clubs, must abide by the regulations in the Olympic Charter, including “promoting a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity”.
This is clearly not the case.
The relationship between the IDF and Israeli football clubs is one that violates the supposed neutral nature of sports, and ethics of good sportsmanship.
Many Israeli football clubs supply IDF soldiers with goodybags and free merchandise.
Israeli football clubs then share photos of IDF troops in Gaza wearing and advertising their products inside bulldozers, in front of tanks, and while wearing their uniforms.
This exhibits a clear, explicit association between football clubs and the military.
Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C. have also hosted IDF soldiers for meals, setting up foundations and fundraisers for them too.
Israeli football clubs, like FC Beiter regularly post obituaries to IDF forces killed in Gaza, "We will always remember you, heroes".
They also hold “appreciation and reinforcement” meetings for IDF troops, and visiting the wounded.
FC Beitar (below) posted a photo of their players paying a visit to wounded IDF troops, posing alongside them with a machine gun.
Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv F.C. have posted photos in the past congratulating fans on enlisting in the IDF.
Earlier this month, they announced that all IDF soldiers would receive free entry to matches.
Maccabi Netayna FC glorify the IDF’s air campaign in Gaza by posting images of Israeli aircraft.
Hapoel Be’er Sheva Football Club has hosted injured IDF soldiers and police after football matches.
IDF troops in Gaza regularly film motivational messages for the football players, encouraging them to win their games in order to make the troops happy.
In other words, football players are linking their performance on the pitch, to boosting the morale of IDF forces involved in genocide and war crimes. Whether implicitly or explicitly, the line between sports and the military vanishes.
This has a ripple effect on the fans of the club, who are also radicalized by this behavior and the club’s social media posts. This conditions them to support war, and to link support for their club with support for the Israeli war effort.
For example, football fans of Maccabi FC violently beat up a man in Greece who was carrying a Palestinian flag.
This behavior by Israeli football clubs has gone unpunished and unsanctioned by the Israeli Football Association.
The IFA is bound to “oppose any political or commercial abuse of sport and athletes” as stated in the Olympic Charter. But there have been no fines, no reprimands, no calls for change.
This by itself would be reason enough to have the Israeli Football Association banned from FIFA, the world’s governing body of association football, and the IOC— never mind the incriminating statements made by individual Israeli athletes supporting the war effort and publicly inciting genocide against Palestinians.
Slaughtering Palestinian Athletes
Not only are Israeli athletes in the IDF, openly mixing politics with sports, and publicly supporting the war with zero consequences— but Palestinian athletes are not even allowed to compete in peace.
The Charter says that the IOC’s role includes promoting “safe sport and the protection of athletes from all forms of harassment and abuse.”
Yet nothing was done to protect the over 300 Palestinian athletes in Gaza murdered by Israel. That list includes 266 footballers, 3 of which played for the Palestinian national team. Many of these sports stars were murdered alongside their entire families.
Israel also killed an international FIFA referee, assistant referee, and the coach of the Palestinian Olympic Football team (below).
At least 66 children who play football in Gaza’s youth academies were also murdered by Israeli and American bombs.
Moreover, Israel has destroyed all sports infrastructure and equipment in Gaza, preventing Palestinian athletes from training and preparing for competitions.
Such is Israel’s contempt for Palestinians, the Yarmouk stadium was turned into a concentration camp by the IDF. Palestinian men and boys were stripped down to their underwear, blindfolded, and forced to sit in stress positions while Israeli soldiers filmed them and shared their own war crimes on social media.
In the background, Israeli bulldozers could be seen ripping up the grass on the football pitch to prevent Palestinians from playing football on it.
This is not too different from when Israeli bulldozers rip up the roads in Jenin and Nablus after raiding the refugee camps, simply out of spite, to make it harder for ambulances to reach the wounded.
All 41 football pitches in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed by Israel during the last 10 months.
Why is Russia Banned, But Not Israel?
In 2022, Russian and Belarusian athletes were banned from competing in international sports as punishment for the war in Ukraine.
It took FIFA and the IOC only four days to reach this decision.
Athletes were told that if they wanted to compete, they could only do so under a neutral flag, and on condition they have no ties to the army or security forces. Any public statements supporting the war would result in a ban.
Clearly, Israeli soldiers are held to a different standard.
The genocide in Gaza has been going on for 10 months. The amount of violations committed by Israeli athletes is higher, as is the amount of destruction, and the civilian death toll.
This would normally be an open and shut case. Especially with two ICJ rulings against Israel, affirming that a genocide is ongoing and that Israel has instituted a system of apartheid against Palestinians.
Threatening Palestinian Sports Officials
Fearing that Israel would be expelled at the FIFA Congress in May, Israel attempted to sabotage, threaten, and intimidate Palestinian sports officials into silence.
Israeli media reported that an emergency committee and WhatsApp group were formed by Israeli diplomats, the military, and legal advisers of the culture and sports ministries, as well as the National Security Council.
Isreal certainly seemed to understand the severity of the case against it.
The FIFA Congress functions similarly to the United Nations General Assembly, where each member has one equal vote, and there is no veto.
Given the ICJ’s ruling in January against Israel, and the souring of Israel’s international image, the risk of reprimand was real.
“This can be a declarative punishment, such as preventing participation in the FIFA Congress, but it can also lead to exclusion from the international arena, as happened to the Russian national team and the Russian groups. In case sanctions are imposed, exclusion from the Olympic football tournament is also on the agenda”.
The head of the Israeli army was “working around the clock to get as ready as possible and torpedo the initiative of the Palestinian Association”.
Israel’s aim was therefore to prevent the issue coming to a vote, and have it taken up instead by a special FIFA Council, a smaller body made up of 35 members. This would make it easier for Israel to try and control the outcome, (similar to having the UNSC decide on a matter rather than the UNGA, to draw another parallel).
Then, one week before the Congress, Israeli Foreign Minister Katz wrote a tweet, openly threatening to imprison Jibril Rajoub, the head of the Palestine Football Association (PFA) and Olympic Committee, if he didn’t drop his demand for Israel to be expelled from FIFA.
This brazen threat was accompanied by a photoshopped image of Rajoub’s head on a prison tracksuit, along with a football. “If he doesn't stop - we will imprison him in Mokta and leave him to play football alone between the walls.”
This sent the Israeli WhatsApp group into a frenzy. “I don’t understand. Just yesterday we asked to avoid and not be surprised with such statements. We are trying to solve a crisis”, one person exclaimed.
A senior Israeli sports lawyer, fuming, wrote, “Friends from the Foreign Office, just tell us it's not real. It came from minister's spokesperson I pray?” […] “unbelievable. It's a colossal scandal in a childhood post that can't come at the hands of any minister, certainly not the foreign minister.”
Despite this colossal scandal, Israel somehow succeeded in getting FIFA to block Palestine from raising the issue, handing it instead to a FIFA Council. The date was set for July 20, then at the last minute, that meeting was cancelled— blocking the Palestinians a second time from raising the issue during an ongoing genocide.
Presumably, FIFA did this in an attempt to avoid an embarrassing outcome for the Israelis one week before the Olympics were set to begin.
After all, according to Israeli media, FIFA chief Gianni Infantino had “previously supported Israel” and his European counterpart at UEFA “promised no sanctions”.
West Bank
Even if one were to ignore the mountain of incriminating evidence above, there have long been ample grounds for Israeli to be expelled from international sports.
FIFA regulations clearly state that it is forbidden for one football association to place football clubs on the territory of another.
This is not just a matter of a simple sports violation. Under international law, Israel is illegally occupying the West Bank— land internationally recognized as Palestinian.
The ICJ recently ruled that Israel and its 700,000 illegal settlers must leave.
UN Security Council Resolutions 242 and 497 explicitly order Israel to withdraw from the Occupied Territories (West Bank, Jerusalem, Golan Heights), declaring its illegal annexations of these territories “null and void”.
UNSC Resolutions are legally binding. Israel has ignored them.
It continues to murder Palestinians with impunity.
Clearly, there is a double standard when it comes to Israeli athletes.
Despite being in the army, and publicly supporting the genocide in Gaza, they are allowed to compete in international sports. Meanwhile, Russian and Belarusian athletes, the majority of whom never said anything to support the war in Ukraine and are not affiliated with the government or the army, were banned and sent home.
Israeli athletes clearly violate neutrality rules by mixing sports with politics. They have not been reprimanded for any of this behavior, indicating the full support of Israel’s sports institutions.
Football clubs themselves openly associate with the IDF, providing food, supplies, receptions, and publishing pro-war propaganda over social media— even encouraging Israelis to join the army. Their football players visit the wounded in hospital, take photos with them, and the clubs post obituaries commemorating killed IDF soldiers.
Israel then kills Palestinian athletes and destroys their sports equipment, while illegally hosting its own football clubs on occupied Palestinian land in the West Bank.
FIFA and the IOC decided to mix politics and sports when they took a political stance against Russia over the war in Ukraine. Yet they refuse to take a political stance over Gaza, despite the overwhelming evidence against Israeli athletes, in a cynical attempt to preserve Israel’s public image.
By doing nothing, FIFA and the IOC have become complicit in Israel’s genocide of Palestinians, and emboldened its killing of athletes.
By Richard Medhurst
Richard,
Your thorough and exhaustive exposure of the fraud that is the Olympics and the psychopathy of the Israeli project, reveals your journalistic expertise. You continue to ascend in the pantheon of great journalists. Stay steady, stay strong. Peace
The athletes are all using the same words in their statements. It’s scripted, and the athletes they’ve chosen and trained are basically planted for their political views. This isn’t sports at all, much less a celebration of world cooperation - it’s pure hasbara. Great article; needs to be circulated everywhere.